LUXURY CRAFTSMANSHIP

Think of a factory – then think again. Calm, light and airy, the Savoir bedworks in west London and Wales defy the archetype. In place of hulking machines there are highly skilled craftsmen working intently at individual oak trestles; instead of the addling clatter of a production line you hear the soothing tapping of tacks, music from a radio and the occasional amiable exchange between colleagues.

Arjoon, the London works foreman, has been making beds by hand since 1987. One of the three original Savoy craftsmen inherited by Savoir in 1997, he has trained most of the current team of 40. Standards are so high that it takes at least a year to teach an apprentice the techniques necessary for making a Savoir bed base – two years if you include mattresses and headboards. Our four core models, numbered 1 to 4 and shown over the following pages, vary according to the hours of work and materials involved.

All are entirely handmade to clients’ specifications. The mission of the whole team – including Rodica the precision cutter and our five meticulous seamstresses – is to provide each customer with the most comfortable and stylish bed imaginable. The solution will depend on body shape, personal preference and budget. From the zoning of different gauges of pocketed spring for optimal support to an unlimited choice of contemporary furnishing fabrics, every individual and taste is provided for. Like Savile Row tailors, our craftsmen only start work once an order has been placed.

We know from firsthand experience that our customers are looking for truly personal service. At Savoir the phrase is no mere cliché. Imagine the luxury of your own bedmaker, who will create your bed from the floor up and – when he is completely satisfied that it is perfect – sign his name with pride, like an artist, on the label…

Hand-slipping

Hand-slipping

The mattress-maker closes the No2 mattress case by hand, using a small, semi-circular needle to make invisible stitches no more than 5mm long. This time-consuming technique allows us to close the mattress edge over a far greater quantity of loose horse tail than would be possible using more mechanised techniques.

Hand-slipping

Hand-Teasing

Hand-Teasing

The craftsman manipulates the curled, loose hair by hand, ensuring that it is evenly distributed and well combined throughout the No3 mattress, box spring and HW topper. It takes years of practice to become completely proficient at this task.

Hand-Teasing

Block HTML text

Wood Trim

Wood Trim

Every No1 bed is supplied with a hardwood trim of the customer‘s choice. Our own highly experienced craftsmen will use their superior cabinet-making skills to produce just the effect you want.

Wood Trim

Caned Edge

Caned Edge

Lengths of cane are hand-tied to the outermost hourglass springs of the No1 base. Combined with the hair roll, this gives the most flexible and durable edge possible. Great skill is required to hand-whip the cane to the springs securely enough to ensure a lifetime of service.

Caned Edge

Star-lashing

Star-lashing

This time-honoured and time-consuming method of linking the hourglass springs in the base demands great skill. Each spring is hand-tied eight ways to create a star shape, perfectly tensioned to allow for independent vertical - but not lateral - movement.

Star-lashing

Dovetail Joints

Dovetail Joints

This traditional, labour-intensive way of locking wood together is both beautiful and, more importantly, very strong. All our drawer boxes and the No1 frame have dovetail joints.

Dovetail Joints

Tufting

Tufting

A technique used to stop loose hair and other filling materials moving too much from side to side, so preventing dips in the bed. The method varies but is always done by hand. On the topper, beautiful fabric tufts on both surfaces create a petal effect when a stitch pulls them closer together. On the mattress, a pre-sized tufting tape links a felt tuft on either surface. The wool tufts on the No 1, No 2 and No 3 box springs are only on the top and are secured to the tarp lying over the star-lashed, hourglass springs. Most manufacturers do not tuft their box springs because they do not use any loose hair in them.

Tufting

Spring Mattress Making

Spring Mattress Making

Our calico-covered pocket springs are made into a spring unit and are hand tied to ensure its stability within your mattress.

Spring Mattress Making

Block HTML text

Side Stitching

Side Stitching

Every Savoir mattress is side-stitched, as is the hair roll on the box spring of the No 1, No 2 and No 3 beds, in order to control the movement of the hair filling. On the mattress a double-ended needle about 10”/25cm long is used to link the side of the mattress to the pocket springs. On the box spring, the stitching squares up the hair roll to provide the perfect edge.